“With this operation, we have completed the Plato spacecraft. The combined sunshield and solar array module was the last remaining essential part,” comments Thomas Walloschek, ESA’s Plato Project Manager.

“It is very satisfying to have reached this moment and to see Plato in its final shape. This is the result of an excellent cooperation between ESA, the Plato Mission Consortium members and Plato's industrial core team.”

The sunshield and solar panels are vital elements for the Plato mission. Once in orbit, the solar array catch light from the Sun to generate the electricity needed to power the spacecraft’s electronics. The sunshield keeps the scientific equipment in shadow, away from the Sun’s glare.

“Over the years we have seen what Plato would look like in countless detailed drawings and simulated images, yet seeing the real, completed spacecraft feels very special,” add Ana Heras, ESA’s Plato Project Scientist.

“Plato has a distinctive design, conceived to efficiently integrate its advanced cameras within the spacecraft. Its overall layout is optimised to monitor more than 150 000 bright stars at the same time, with high precision. This will enable scientists to hunt for terrestrial planets orbiting stars similar to our Sun.”

To spot exoplanets, Plato carries 26 advanced cameras tasked with capturing the tiniest variations in the intensity of a star’s light. To achieve the necessary high sensitivity, the cameras must be kept cool, so that each camera is kept at its best-focus temperature around -80° C.

Protected from sunlight by the sunshield and facing deep space, Plato’s scientific instruments will cool down and stay at the required frigid temperature throughout the mission’s lifetime.